RAJSHAHI, Sept 24: Known as 'mini Cox's Bazar,' the Halti Beel of Natore is turning into a major spot of attraction for thousands of tourists of the country.
The beel, situated 5.0 km east of Natore town, turns into a vast ocean during rainy season. The road crossing the beel goes under water, increasing the beauty of the beel further. Villages situated inside the beel look like isolated islands.
The number of visitors at the Halti Beel is increased, specially at the weekends and on national holidays like the two Eids and Puja.
The Patul Ghat of Halti Beel is popular among thousands of people of various ages. Many people visit the beel with their family members.
Those who cannot afford to visit Cox's Bazar, come with their families and friends to Halti Beel to enjoy the serene beauty of the vast water body.
People living inside beel villages informed, they were happy with a large number of visitors during the rainy season when the beel is full to its brim with water.
Visitors at Patul ghat, however, complained of lack of sufficient sheds for sitting at the spot. Local people along with the visitors were demanding that Patulghat area of Halti Beel be turned into a tourist spot.
Halti Beel is situated in a corner of famous Chalan Beel. To ease the movement of people living in villages inside the beel, a road has been constructed from Patul Ghat.
Most part of the road remain under water during the rainy season when boats are the only means of communication for the people of beel villages while all types of mechanical vehicles move through the road during the dry season. After the completion of the road through the beel, the number of visitors at Patul ghat area is increasing daily.
Due to increased pressure of visitors at Patul Ghat, people living at the char villages were facing a scarcity of boats to ride to reach their villages. Mousumi Khatun of Dipgram, a village inside the beel, was waiting with her mother at Patulghat from 11.00 am to avail a boat but till 1.30 she could not manage a boat to lift them to the village.
She complained the boatmen were more interested to take visitors onto their boats rather than the local passengers because by offering a ride to the visitors to a short distance for a short time, boatmen could earn more money.
Hasib, Reza and Iqbal, students of Kushtia Islamic University, informed during Eid and other vacations, the Halti beel sites turn into a hub of visitors. They said they were able to enjoy the pleasure of Cox's Bazar by visiting the vast water body of Halti beel.
However, they complained, the boatmen were charging exorbitant fare from the visitors. Last year, they used to charge Tk 50 for every visitor but this year they were charging Tk 100 from each visitor for one-hour boat ride.
Boatmen Abdul Latif and Shah Alam said the number of visitors was increasing day by day. He further said some extra fare was charged from those who cruised for a long time in the water.
Akhter Hossain, a resident of Patulghat area informed, the economic scenario of Chalanbeel people has been changed with the construction of the 24-km road connecting beel villages from Patul Ghat area to Boral Bridge.
Day labourers of the beel villages now earn money by cultivating crops and vegetable during dry season and by plying boats or by catching fish during rainy season. Many people were also set up shops beside the beel and were earning money.
Rais Uddin, Member of Zila Parishad, Natore informed, people of the area have requested to the local Member of Parliament to increase infrastructural facilities at the beel side. Natore Zila Parishad is also working to turn Halti Beel area into a tourist spot, he added.
Mohammad Shahriaz, Deputy Commissioner of Natore informed, some projects have been taken to increase facility for tourists at Patul Ghat area. This year, life jackets were supplied to each boat riders as a safety measure. He sought cooperation from the private sectors as well to increase the facility of tourists at Patul Ghat of Halti Beel area.
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